I've been a corporate financial analyst for many years now
and although i kinda like it, the thought of me not spending
enough quality time with my 4-year old keeps nagging me.
There is just no balance when both parents have to work full
time to make ends meet. I keep thinking that there might be
this dream job where I could work only part-time or even
from home providing some sort of consulting. However, I've
never seen similar positions advertised anywhere. Am I just
making it up, or such possibilities really do exist. Any
advice on how I would go about searching for them?
Anon

The opportunities are out there but they take some work to
get. I worked for several years as a financial analyst and
decided to go it alone after moving to the Bay Area. You
probably can count on spending 60% or more of your time
finding new gigs - that's the nature of the consulting life.
There are sources for this kind of work, but the number of
opportunities will depend on your experience. One that
friends of mine found useful was Msquared.com. I got two of
my friends good gigs off of them. I got none. I turned a
number of interviews away because I was either on another
engagement or the gig was not the right fit for my skill
set. I found that the best source of gigs was my own
network. Forget about job boards or craigslist. You will
find yourself in a field of hundreds of other applicants and
you will waste a lot of time. Having been on both sides of
that one, it is really hit or miss. Your friends, associates
and msquared are your best bets. That being said, being
free lance is terrific if you have good deal flow. I have
not regretted being around for my child. Of course, I am not
the only source of income either. One more thing, don't
forget self employment taxes. They can sting.
Free Lance Financial Analyst
Hi Anon -
I do not have advice to you but I see what you mean. I am
also a Finance professional. I worked for many years (20)
in various Finance Budegting, Analysis and Accounting jobs.
At some point, I stopped working so that I could be home
with my two girls. I have been home for 6 years. My
younger child is in K and will be in 1st grade in August. I
would love to go back to work on a part time basis but can
not find any jobs that are part time. Would your company be
open to job sharing your current job? If so, maybe you
could find someone to share your current job and you both
would be part time. If you are interested in emailing me
and talking about this, I would be interested. I would also
be interested in job sharing. Good luck. Lisa
Lisa

My husband is contemplating a career change to either being a
portfolio manager or a financial advisor. Although he has quite
a bit of experience in the corporate world of financial
services, he has never worked in the other two areas. Does
anyone have any advice, information, or tips they can share
about either of these fields? What do the day-to-day job duties
entail? Have you found these careers to be gratifying? What is
the best way to get into these fields? What kind of money can
we expect down the road? Is there anyone who might be willing
to share information about your experiences?
Thanks for any information you can provide!
M.

I made a career change to become a financial advisor last year. I had
previously spent most of my career in consumer technology marketing. So
far I'm really enjoying it, but it's a lot of work and the financial
rewards are pretty small for the first few years (I guess that's
relative, but certainly for anyone with significant work experience and
education). I've heard that 90% of advisors fail within their first 4
years. John
Hi,
I am a Certified Financial Planner with my own firm in
Berkeley. I am also the Chairperson for the Careers Committee of the
Financial Planning Association of San Francisco (www.fpasf.org). I
would highly recommend your husband join the association as a student (I
think the annual rate is $100 or so).
He will be able to meet many other financial advisors/planners - some
with years of experience and many new students/career changers. He
would also have access to the Career Department where he could find a
mentor, meet other new planners for monthly roundtable discussions, find
an internship or a new job.

The association has been so invaluable to me in getting solid advice
from industry veterans - they are such a nice group and everyone is very
willing to share their personal experiences and advice.

Being a financial planner is hugely gratifying in being able to help
people become more financially stable and secure. For new planners,
much of the challenge comes in finding clients when you have little or
no experience. There are many different career avenues to take -
working with a broker/dealer, working for an independent financial
planning firm, working for a major wealth management company like
Goldman Sachs, UBS or Merrill Lynch, etc.
It all depends on his interests and goals. Salaries can range from
commission only - $1mm+ as a top tier wealth manager.
Julie

I worked as a jr. financial planner for a couple years and really
enjoyed it. You might
look into the financial planning certificate program offered by UC
Extension. I believe
that, in addition to preparing one for a career change to financial
planning, the course
work meets the education requirements to sit for the CFP exam, which is
a respected
credential in the field. You may also wish to contact the Financial
Planning Association
for more information. Good luck!
Erin